Category: News

50 Cent’, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, is no stranger to filing and being on the receiving end of a civil lawsuit (see penis enhancement or former employee embezzlement lawsuits). However, as his co-executive produced series Power Book II: Ghost, starring Michael Rainey Jr., Method Man, and Mary J. Blige, made its return to the Starz network last week, the pending lawsuit surrounding it is also back in the headlines.

In April 2021, a gentleman by the name of Corey Holland Sr., whose nickname is Ghost, filed a $1 billion lawsuit again Jackson, the STARZ network, and series creator Courtney Kemp, alleging that the beloved show was based on his likeness. Holland believes that Kemp was inspired to current the show after obtaining a copy of his CD Blasphemy, which was originally given to Kemp’s father in 2007. He believes the seventh season of Power and the first two seasons of Power Book II: Ghost were directly inspired by that CD.

Given that Power has now birthed three spin-offs for the network (Power Book II: Ghost, Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force), Holland feels that the $1 billion asking price for supposed intellectual property theft is justified.

According to HotNewHipHop, because the rapper’s legal team never responded to Holland’s complaint, the courts ordered all parties to come to a resolution through mediation. Although no date has been formally set, it is being reported that mediation could begin as soon as May.

He also alleged in court documents reviewed by the outlet that 50 Cent himself showed up at his home as he filed suit against him and attempted to start a physical altercation between the two of them.

50 Cent has not yet issued a statement about the allegations or the lawsuit.

In an age when shows never end or at least spawn endless spinoffs, it’s almost comforting, in a way, that Succession is ending, hopefully on top. (Although some future spinoff isn’t off the table.) The news was shocking to many; after all, it will have only been on the air for four seasons. It was a shock to one of its cast members, too, if only because no one bothered to tell her it was over until a ways into the process.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times (as caught by IndieWire), Sarah Snook said she as “very upset” at the news, which she only found out at the table read.

“I felt a huge sense of loss, disappointment and sadness,” Snook said. “It would have been nice to know at the beginning of the season, but I also understand not being told until the end because there was still a potential that maybe this wasn’t going to be the end.”

For Snook, it’s bittersweet that the show that made her a household name. “Emotionally, all of us weren’t necessarily ready to be done with the show because we love each other so much,” she explained. “But everything has to come to an end, and it’s smart not to let something become a parody of itself.”

Snook’s onscreen father, Brian Cox, was a little more detached when the show ended, saying he felt nothing after filming his final scene. He won’t even mind not having to constantly pelt people with Logan Roy’s signature catchphrase.

Succession‘s final season begins its run starting March 26 on HBO.

(Via LA Times and IndieWire)

This coming week, the unthinkable might happen: Donald Trump may finally face the consequences of his actions. The Manhattan district attorney’s case against the former president has been ratcheting up, and it’s believed — though not confirmed — that an indictment is imminent. Trump himself thinks it will go down Tuesday, and he’s already whipping up his violent supporters. What if Trump really is indicted? What if he even goes to jail? What if he gets busted for one of his other scandals? Sean Hannity has claimed the big guy could still run for president from the slammer. But another pal is going one further.

As per Raw Story, serial Trump defender Alan Dershowitz went on Newsmax, and he didn’t have good news. “He will be indicted,” he said. “In New York, you can indict a ham sandwich. In New York City, you can convict a ham sandwich because the jury pool is so unfair.”

But not all was bleak. “Even if he’s convicted, he can run for president,” Dershowitz said. “He can run for president from prison. He can even serve as president from prison.”

If all goes south for Trump and if Dershowitz is right about his latter point, then Trump will not only be the first president to be jailed but also the first president to do his elected duties from the clink. Congrats?

You can watch video of Dershowitz’s Newsmax appearance at Raw Story.

Drake has found himself in a sticky situation. With festival season in full effect, the “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” rapper’s South American fans were excited to see him headlining the opening night of Lollapalooza Argentina alongside Rosalía. As the musician gearing up to hit the road for the It’s All A Blur tour with 21 Savage, and given that the Toronto native has shown the country love in the past by betting nearly a million dollars on their soccer team to win the World Cup Final, Argentines were expecting a show of epic portions.

With fire display, smoke machines, and his signature high energy on stage, Drake nearly delivered on all cylinders except one, according to the fans attending the show as comments poured into Twitter complaining about his set.

One person’s remarks roughly were translated as “Drake’s show should’ve lasted an hour and 30 minutes in Lollapalooza Argentina, but the artist unexpectedly ended it early. In total, he played for less than an hour.”

Despite prompting the crowd to sing Argentina’s World Cup anthem, “Muchachos,” that wasn’t enough to please the fans after he reportedly cut his set 30 minutes short.

Fans at home had something to gripe about, too. According to some users, the festival promised that the rapper’s set would be accessible via their stream. However, as viewers logged in to watch, a message on the screen revealed that Drake’s set would no longer be televised.

The anger has spilled over in the comment section of Lollapalooza Argentina’s Instagram posts, as one user wrote, “Started 10 minutes late, cut 30 minutes early, sang 30 seconds of each song, out of control just said the word literal “control,” sound went off, screens stayed on black for minutes — a disaster.”

Other users jumped in to defend the star, pointing out that he wasn’t the only performer not to have his set live-streamed.

Taylor Swift’s The Era Tour is making history in more ways than one. For one, Glendale, Arizona, temporarily rename the city in the “Lavender Haze” singer’s honor after being the launching pad for the nearly 30-date North American tour. For another, as per Pop Base, the tour’s opening night just broke a concert record previously held by pop superstar Madonna.

Overwhelmed with the career milestone of opening up for Swift, Gayle was moved to tears on stage as she thanked the singer for allowing her to be one of the tour openers. Paramore also opened for Swift during opening night.

The singer tearfully said, “Thank you, Taylor Swift, for having me. Man, Taylor Swift — this is such a dream come true. Thank you so much. I can’t believe this is happening to me.” She then turned to the audience, saying, “Thank you for paying attention.”

The singer then snapped back into the moment as she dove into her viral smash “abcdefu.”

When asked about finding out that she would be accompanying Swift on a few selected tour dates, Gayle said, “She’s done so much for women in pop music for Nashville and for songwriters. And the fact that she can look at me in Nashville and just be like, ‘You, come with me.’”

With the Glendale dates wrapped up, Gayle’s remaining support stops include Las Vegas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Foxborough, and the second closing night at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. For more information, click here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the 1998 film Wild Things, which is famous for its hairpin plot turns.

Wild Things, the twisty-turny erotic thriller from the late ‘90s, turns 25 this year. In many ways it’s a product of a different time. For one thing, erotic thrillers are thin on the ground these days. (Even Deep Water was skimpy on the sex.) But in some ways it was ahead of its time. The sexually fluid characters played by Neve Campbell and Denise Richards were rarities during the Clinton era. But in the original script, they weren’t the only ones who swung both ways.

In a retrospective interview about the film by Yahoo! Entertainment, director John McNaughton confirmed something that’s been discussed before: That Dillon’s high school teacher and Kevin Bacon’s crooked detective were supposed to get it on, too, in the scene where it’s revealed the two had been in cahoots.

“In the original version of the scene, Matt walks into his bathroom to take a shower and there’s Kevin,” McNaughton said. “They were supposed to look each other up and down and then wham — go at it.”

Alas, soon before they were supposed to film it, one of the actors opposed it. McNaughton wouldn’t say which one, but it’s not hard to figure out who it was. Both actors spoke to Total Film about the cut moment of intimacy in 2005. Bacon said the reveal was “great,” though he put the blame on the financiers, who he said “didn’t like the idea of men making out.”

Dillon, meanwhile, said, “Man, I was relieved when they got rid of that scene” He added, “Kevin seemed pretty attached to it, though!” He also described the duo’s relationship as “one twist too many, man, one twist too many.”

One can still sense some homoeroticism between the two. After all, when it’s revealed that Dillon and Bacon are working together, Bacon can be seen taking a shower, showing off full frontal nudity. During the end credit bumpers, which fill in some more of the twists, there’s some sparks, too.

“Neve preps him, and then Matt goes inside and sits next to Kevin and says, ‘Hey, could I buy you a drink?’ The next time you watch that scene, watch it closely, because [their relationship] is there,” McNaughton explained. “I always called it ‘acting twice’ with the cast, because what their characters were saying was never really what they were doing.”

McNaughton also spoke about that famous threesome between Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, and Denise Richards, which he said probably couldn’t fly today. That’s not because it’s too racy but because it’s a high school teacher getting it on with two students. McNaughton said that scene could “probably not” be filmed, adding, “Maybe in 20 years, the pendulum will swing back again, but now it’s swung pretty far in the other direction.”

Wild Things currently streams on Showtime as well as for rental.

(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)

Ticketmaster may have dropped the ball when it came to the pre-sale of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. However, that hasn’t stopped the singer’s avid Swiftie fans from showing up in droves. In fact, it’s estimated that the tour has already earned just over half a billion dollars in the United States alone.

On March 17, in Glendale, Arizona, the tour kicked off with support from Paramore and Gayle. While local Glendale officials basked in being the launching point for the tour, temporarily renaming the city in Swift’s honor, they now have a cool piece of history to had to their record books. Not only did the “Anti-Hero” singer also sell out the opening night at State Farm Stadium due to overwhelming demand, but she also had to add a second date.

Now, according to Pop Base, Swift’s The Eras Tour opening night was a record-breaking night for more reasons than one. The outlet is reporting that it broke fellow pop star Madonna’s record for the most attended female concert in U.S. history. Based on the final ticket count, Swift’s opening night held an audience of over 69,000. The stadium has the capacity to hold up to 72,200 people.

Madonna’s 1987 concert in Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, previously held the record after the final count of attendees came in at 62,986 people.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Time was an actor did a role one time and then they were done, maybe. Nowadays an old role can come back to haunt you, or at least get you even more work and money. Take Willem Dafoe. In 2002 he played the Green Goblin, the first villain that battled Spider-Man on the big screen. Nearly 20 years later he was back in the suit for another Peter Parker, in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And he wouldn’t mind doing it again.

In an interview with Inverse (as caught by Deadline), he was asked if he’d once again played crazed businessman Norman Osborn. “If everything was right, sure,” Dafoe replied while promoting his new thriller Inside. “I mean, that’s a great role. I liked the fact that it’s a double role both times. Twenty years ago, and fairly recently, both times [were] very different experiences, but I had a good time on both.”

Dafoe hasn’t always been rah-rah with the series. Some 10 years ago, he took a shot at the first revival, with Andrew Garfield. “I saw a trailer for the first Spider-Man reboot and I thought, ‘This is crazy! It’s not shot for shot, but it’s the same story,” he said. “I thought, ‘This is sort of a cynical approach to making money!’”

That said, he had no problems with the first iteration of the franchise, which he called “very pure.”

(Via Inverse and Deadline)

Donald Trump might be going to jail. One of the many cases against the former president, namely the one from Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, may soon be ending in an indictment. Trump himself is so worried that he might finally receive comeuppance that he’s doing what he does best: rallying his violent supporters to “protest.” Does that enrage some of his more religious followers? Not at all. Indeed, one of them is full-on comparing him to the son of God.

“President Trump will be arrested during Lent—a time of suffering and purification for the followers of Jesus Christ,” wrote Joseph D. McBride, a noted MAGA lawyer. “As Christ was crucified, and then rose again on the 3rd day, so too will [Donald Trump].” He added, “Violence is never the answer. Winning the election is. Vote for Trump!”

As Newsweek notes, McBride isn’t just an ordinary Trumpist. He’s defended Jan. 6 perpetrators. In fact, he’s compared people who stormed the Capitol to J.C., too.

“Jan-Sixers are being fed to the lions for sport in DC & the FBI is targeting practicing Catholics, labeling us—extremists,” he tweeted back in February. “Evil has never been bolder, & good people, never more afraid to stand. Stand we must, nonetheless. Never forget, Jesus was killed for being an ‘extremist.’”

McBride’s tweet inevitably went viral, prompting lots of jokes.

For others, it simply reinforced the cult-like nature of Trump’s fanbase.

Trump himself predicted that he would be indicted on Tuesday. Even if he winds up convicted, his cronies are confident he can still run for president from the clink.

(Via Newsweek)

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Poker Face (Peacock series)

The first season of this Natasha Lyonne/Rian Johnson show delivered a good run of the wisecracking Orange Is The New Black star at her best. She followed up her Russian Doll turn with a character who receives far less respect yet still demands as much. As Charlie, Natasha brought us murder-of-the-week flavor from a protagonist who can always tell when people are lying. Beyond that premise, the show boasted Johnson’s usual assortment of brilliant cameos. Season 2 will be coming, so let the assembling begin.

TIE: 10. Shadow And Bone (Netflix series)

The Grishaverse keeps trucking along while adapting Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling fantasy novels. Ben Barnes is the star attraction here while portraying General Kirigan with complicated motives, to say the very least. He’s able to summon shadows and is the Darkling of mythological fame and the creator of the Shadow Fold. Yet he’s also nursing a bruised ego following rejection from Alina (Jessie Mei Li), so expect him to pepper this epic story with a butt-hurt nature. Fun!

9. Perry Mason (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Matthew Rhys is the irresistible, mopey-faced leading actor that our generation deserves. Somehow, this show pulled off “gritty” without falling into a hole of ridiculousness. This show’s a completely different beast than the one that we saw in the Raymond Burr-starring series of long ago, and not unlike with Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen, we can trust that when HBO greenlights a reinvention, there’s a damn fine reason for it. All hail Team Downey for this one, too.

8. Shazam! (Warner Bros film streaming on HBO Max)

Back in 2019, the first Shazam! movie felt like such a glee-filled revelation that it landed on our list of favorite comic-book movies from the past decade. The sequel, unfortunately, isn’t going over as well, but it’s actually got the misfortune of being a placeholder while the world awaits whatever James Gunn plans to do as DC Universe (and debutdirector) head honcho. Cue the suspense, and enjoy the original Shazam! while we all await details.

7. Selective Outrage (Netflix stand-up special)

This special is still bringing the controversy after Chris Rock waited one full year to take the gloves off and unload on Jada Pinkett Smith (and Will, of course) following that 2022 Oscars Slap. In the aftermath, we had a pretty normal Oscars while also hearing that Jada and Will are not at all thrilled to be further put on blast by Rock. There are plenty of lessons to be learned here by various parties, but we know that we won’t see Will at the Oscars for at least a decade. Also, if you don’t want to be reminded of slapping someone, it’s not the best idea to slap a comedian in front of the world.

6. Power Book II: Ghost (Starz series)

Not to be outdone by Taylor Sheridan’s vast assembling of many Paramount shows (both of the Yellowstone variety and not so much), 50 Cent’s Power universe continues past the original series with a whole lot of drama to clean up in this third season. That includes an accidental killing and a car accident, all with Tariq St. Patrick attempting to mop up life and leave the game. However, he will soon end up back in business, which will complete his plans to regain trust and his family. Betrayal and a R.I.C.O. investigation will do that, unfortunately.

5. The Mandalorian (Disney+ series)

Slowly but surely, Grogu/Baby Yoda is making attempts to say his first word, and they sure are drawing this thing out, aren’t they? No one seems mad about it, though, since this series is giving the world part of a double-dose of Pedro Pascal, who is still living his best show-business life long after his too-soon death on Game of Thrones. RIP Oberyn Martell.

4: You (Netflix series)

We won’t spoil the season finale, but let’s just say that Stalker Joe gets a little bit of his fire back and sets up a fifth season that will hopefully be more engrossing than much of this current round. Professor Jonathan Moore/Stalker Joe Goldberg will live another day and probably another season, and Penn Badgley will one day be able to move onto doing interviews that don’t involve the world wanting him to stalk them. Only kidding — this role will probably always stick with him, but at least he knows what is up.

3. RRR (DVV Entertainment film streaming on Netflix)

Our own Vince Mancini absolutely dug this movie that you no doubt caught wind of during Oscars season. “RRR reminded me why big, stupid movies are fun. Every blockbuster director should study it,” Vince wrote before making the case that it’s not all that different from Top Gun: Maverick and plenty of U.S.-based action movies. It’s also mesmerizing, over-the-top, and “made action movies great again.” That’s quite an endorsement, and beyond the historic win of “Naatu Naatu” for Best Original Song, there are loads of appealing reasons why you should drop this one into your queue for a three-hour watch that will somehow hold your attention for the entire run.

2. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+ series)

Jason Sudeikis and the rest of the AFC Richmond gang are back for one last job (sorry, not sorry) and maybe even defeat the show’s new (sort-of) villain after Nate went full Joker. Yes, will likely be the final season for the show proper, but there’s always the possibility of a spinoff waiting in the wings. Also, there’s something to be said for not worrying too much about where a show will go, or not go, although that’s much easier said than done. Fortunately, we’ve had a wonderful burst of positivity to take us through some dark years, and TV is all the better for it.

1. The Last Of Us (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

Surely, most fans of HBO’s latest juggernaut have caught the somewhat disappointing season finale of this ragingly successful video game adaptation by now, but if you haven’t yet done so, you’re part of the fan minority because the ratings for this series were even bigger than House of the Dragon. Rest assured, as well, that Season 2 will be coming with some major changes, but Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will definitely be back. Long after those The Hangover movies, Craig Mazin really does have the touch when it comes to fine-tuning HBO hits for the masses.